Baseball Musings: Vidro to the Mariners

December 13, 2006

Vidro to the Mariners

U.S.S. Mariner is very unhappy with the deal in which the Mariners get Jose Vidro and the Nationals get Snelling and Fruto.

The Mariners have traded two players, one finally healthy and tearing the cover off the ball who can play right or left, and a still younger, cheap, effective reliever in order to acquire a 31-year old passable hitter who plays a position where team has another cheap, effective player (if Hargrove would just stop telling him to ground out over and over).
I've tried to come up with a justification for this, and I can't. There must be another deal waiting, which makes this hard to justify in isolation: at least one of Broussard/Lopez/Sexson is going to be booted.

But this move hurts the team. More than just next season: Snelling and Fruto were both the kind of players who could be parts of the next Mariner championship team. Snelling in particular could be one of the best hitters on any team (if he stays healthy, of course), and he's under team control for years for very little money. Jose Vidro's a declining, increasingly immobile player on the wrong side of his peak who'll be paid an immense amount of money. Vidro will not help the M's win a pennant. If it comes to be, this will be one of the worst trades the team's ever made, even if Snelling never plays another game and Fruto doesn't throw another strike.

Vidro's not a bad player, but he's the last piece of a puzzle. If you need a second baseman to win a championship and all the other pieces are there, it's a good move. But the Mariners are nowhere near that.

Posted by David Pinto at 11:21 PM | Trades | TrackBack (0)

Comments

I wonder if there is a moral hazard in play here; is Bill Bavasi doing what's best for himself (i.e. keeping his job) or for the Mariners? This goes back to last year's trade deadline when Bavasi swapped Shin-soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera for Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez. They keep acting like a team that's close, but I can't see it.

Posted by: Phil at December 14, 2006 12:47 AM

Because the west coast needs an answer to the Orioles.

*spit*

Posted by: NBarnes at December 14, 2006 01:42 AM

They keep acting like a team that's close, but I can't see it.

That's because they're not close. Do not adjust your set/goggles/microscope, Phil. You are not missing anything you should be seeing.

Bavasi has pretty much given away one high-upside prospect (Fruto), one major-league outfielder with a pretty dang good PECOTA projection who, incidentally, is LOVED (big time) by many, many fans in Seattle, and he's paid cash for the privilege...

What did he get? A decline-phase 2B who plans to DH in the AL.

And he makes this move the day after Marcus Giles was non-tendered and available for free. FREE.

FREE.

Shall I say it again? Okay, I will.

FREE.

(yes, they'd have to sign him to a contract but they wouldn't have to give up players and cash to do it)

Posted by: Will D at December 14, 2006 02:13 AM

Depressing..... that is all I can say. I am one of those Seattle fans that was really looking forward to seeing Snelling get to play. I saw him play some right field last year and he made a assist at second base. I hope that Snelling goes to Washington and tears the cover off the ball. I have no hope for where this Seattle franchise is going. Disappointing and sad. Good luck to Snelling and Fruto and yeah I can't wait to cheer for Vidro and his 12 million dollars. Whooooooope!

Posted by: nick z at December 14, 2006 04:06 AM

Does Jeremy Reed benefit from Snelling's departure?

U.S.S. Mariner was unintentionally funny with this sentence: "Snelling and Fruto were both the kind of players who could be parts of the next Mariner championship team. " Ummm, excuse me but when was the last Mariner championship team?

Posted by: LargeBill at December 14, 2006 08:29 AM

I read the article on ESPN that stated the Nationals have a logjam in the middle infield. Who? They did last year when they had two starting 2B playing. Now what do they have?

At least the Nationals come out early and admit that they are re-building with youth.

I do wonder what happens to Lopez. There is a rumor that Lopez will be moved to 3B, and that Beltre will be moved. One rumor was back to LA Dodgers. I am wondering if the Phillies would acquire him?

Speaking of the Phillies, is Aubrey Huff an option to join the Phillies?

Posted by: Bob at December 14, 2006 08:52 AM

As a Nats fan, my initial reaction was disappointment, because they are obviously not going to be competitive in 2007. I guess the plan is to have Lopez play second and Guzman play short.

Reading the comments, though, I feel that Nats took the Mariners on this one. The financial aspects of the deal clearly favor the Nats, and, like the poster above, wonder why the Mariners did not even try to get Giles.

Posted by: John N. at December 14, 2006 09:02 AM

Ummm, excuse me but when was the last Mariner championship team?
Posted by LargeBill at December 14, 2006 08:29 AM

Well, LargeBill, a quick trip over to Wikipedia shows that Seattle were AL West Champions in 1997 and 2001. So do you think they meant "World Series Champions" or were you just being unintentionally funny?

Posted by: Will D. at December 14, 2006 09:52 AM

but vidro is a Veteran Presence.

which is what is important.

because you really need that on a team filled with exciting young guys who

uh
um

nevermind

Posted by: lisa gray at December 14, 2006 09:56 AM

Will,

If I refer to a team as a championship team without additional qualifiers (like wild card, division or whatever), then yes, I'd be referring to World Series championship as would most folks.

Posted by: LargeBill at December 14, 2006 10:08 AM

That trade is an abomination. Seriously. I have no interest in either team here, and I think what Bavasi did was derelection if not criminal. It was the second-worse trade in team history (behind Lowe and Varitek for Slocumb) on its own, and when you consider the Giles factor? It just boggles the mind.

Don't forget Vidro has missed 120 games over the last two years too.

Posted by: Mr Furious at December 14, 2006 10:30 AM

I agree with Furious, EXCEPT that I really don't think there is any possibility of Giles going to the M's. He's going to the Pads to join his brother. It's just a matter of time before the contract is signed.

Posted by: sabernar at December 14, 2006 11:33 AM

if i was a gm i'd be on the phone with seattle immediately trying to rob them of some more good young players. what a joke of a trade. maybe vidro will fail the physical and save the M's.

Posted by: Tim at December 14, 2006 12:30 PM

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